Taken Back!

Have you ever seen the movie series Taken, starring Liam Neeson? It’s a story about two 18-year old girls, Kim and Amanda, who travel to Paris, France only to end up being abducted and ‘taken’ into a human trafficking ring. Neeson plays Bryan Mills, a retired CIA agent with special sniper-like skills; he’s Kim’s father in the movie. Kim (played by Maggie Grace) was a ‘good girl’ in the movie, still a virgin unlike her friend. She was excited about her trip to Paris although her father was completely opposed to it. While on the phone with her Dad, she saw her friend get taken from another room in the house and her Dad let her know that she would inevitably be next. So Bryan Mills goes to Paris and does some heavy investigative work and eventually finds his daughter to bring her back home.  So let’s take a look at this movie a little further and see how we can extract some biblical truths from it for the New Year!

The Father knows what we can handle. 

Kim’s father was opposed to her taking a trip to Paris with her friend because he felt she was not mature enough to handle it. How many times do we ignore the instruction of God? We think that we have everything figured out only to discover that we’ve gotten ourselves into a mess. God knows what we’re ready to handle and sometimes he tells us NO for our own good. Why do we continually choose to not trust him and go our own way? God’s Word provides instructions for every area of our lives, just read it and follow it. Trust me! I’ve learned this lesson the hard way so I know first-hand that it pays to trust God. In the movie, she went against what her father said and ended up being taken into human trafficking. Not following God’s way leads to disaster so trust him because he knows what we can handle. 

The Father will search for you. 

Once Kim and her friend was taken her father immediately travelled to Paris to find her. No matter where you are in your Christian walk or even how far you may have strayed, God will search for you and find you. He will be relentless in his search for you, your heart, your mind and your soul. He is indeed the Good Shepherd who searches for his lost sheep. John 10:11 states, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep”. Bryan Mills didn’t stop until he found his daughter and the Lord will not stop until he finds you.

The Father wants you back.

Towards the end of the movie when Kim was sold to the highest bidder her father was able to find her and make it onto the boat where she was being held. When the guards discovered that they had an intruder, the man who purchased Kim asked what was going on and the head guard replied, “Nothing, the girl’s father wants her back”. God does want you back! No matter what happened in 2015 or past years, God is speaking restoration. He wants to do a new thing! Believe it or not, God misses you. You used to depend on Him wholeheartedly, you used to love Him without distraction and now He’s calling out to you because he loves you and wants you back! Know that there will be some correction involved because he loves you but even through the correction, he wants you back in right relationship with Him.   

Being a child of God can preserve you in not so good times. 

This is an extra point but one that stuck with me. I mentioned earlier in this post that Kim was a virgin and Amanda was not. This is significant because in the human trafficking business, virgins are high commodities. Non-virgins are essentially drugged right away and then sent right to work. Bryan Mills did find Amanda also but by the time he found her, she was already dead. His daughter was preserved because of her virginity which gave him more time to find her. The point here is this, being a child of God and in the family of Christ can preserve you in times when you may not be at your best. Staying in prayer and letting the Holy Spirit work within you can preserve you in tough times, trying times. It pays to stay connected to Christ. 

In the coming New Year I encourage you to go in a new direction. You’ve tried everything else now try God’s way. Start this New Year the right way and watch God lead and guide you through 2016. Know that He knows what’s best for you but if you happen to get off track, he will search for you because he does want you back. 

To the Girrrl Stop Nation, best wishes for a productive, purpose-filled 2016!

If he's not your boyfriend then...

Well Christmas is a few days away and no, I won’t reiterate the true meaning of Christmas or as the cliche goes, ‘the reason for the season’. You know that already! I’m going to do a few posts on this subject because I’m beginning to hear it too often. Honestly, I don’t know where to begin! 

I’ve run into more than a few ladies who are in situationships! 

**Situationship - A fake relationship masking itself as a formative relationship. It smells like a relationship, it sorta looks like a relationship, and it may even feel like one, but it's not.**

And it’s like clockwork, every few months or so they’re asking these men, “what are we doing? where is this going?" These particular men (of course this isn't all men, only a select few) give vague answers if they even answer at all. Ladies, please stop entertaining this foolishness. This is not God’s best for you. If a man truly wants you, he will claim you, period. Nah, I ain’t quoting Harvey or any of those other self-proclaimed relationship experts, I’m just stating fact. Don’t be confused or fooled by these fraudulent, fake relationships. 

I’ll go a little deeper in a later post but for purposes of this post so close to Christmas, if he’s not your boyfriend then - Girrrl Stop buying deez Ninjas stuff! You haven’t even solidified if you are in a relationship with this man and you buying him gifts! Why? Let me ask again, why?

Fact: You can’t buy love

Fact: You can’t buy commitment

No amount of money will get a man to commit to you who’s not ready or who doesn’t want to. Period. So stop it!

This is what we not gon’ do for 2016!!!

So listen carefully: 

-Put your debit cards down

-Back away from your LV Bag 

-Put that cash back in your wallet

-And for crying out loud, put the credit cards away!

-Save all that sweet, niceness for someone who really deserves it!

So Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa and all that but you better not have one gift under the tree, I don’t care if it’s Umoja or Nia; resolve to be unified with someone who wants to be with you fully and focus on your purpose without your hand in your purse!

Yeah I know - You can’t! 

Ok, that’s all - for now. 

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Whatchu Say?

I read a quote emailed to me the other day which stated, "Believe that you're amazing". It was in that moment of reading it that I realized the level of our belief matches our level of greatness. A million people can think you're amazing but if you don't believe it, that amazing wow factor will never manifest itself in your life. God has told us who we are through this Word but do we believe it? 

-God says we are more than conquerors yet we fold at the first sign of adversity 

-God says we are fearfully and wonderfully made yet out insecurity levels are at peak

-God says we are a royal priesthood, a chosen generation yet our behavior exhibits well beneath who we are

Allowing what God says about you to seep into your spirit, will then change what you say about yourself! Once your speech changes your belief will follow!

Tell yourself you're amazing!  - Believe It!

Tell yourself you're great! - Believe it! 

Tell yourself you're awesome! - Believe It!

Tell yourself what God says about you!!! - Believe It!!!!

Why? Because God operates off of what we believe. 

In the ninth chapter of Matthew, Jesus encounters two blind men who asked for healing. Jesus then asked them a simple question, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" Ah! What a question! The blind men replied, "Yes, Lord" and Jesus said, "According to your faith let it be to you" and their eyes were opened. Jesus questioned their belief because your belief speaks to your level of faith. At the end of the day, the question is never can God do it, of course He can! The question is do you believe that He can do it, whatever that 'it' is for you. 

Lord help us in our unbelief and help us to be mindful of what we say to ourselves.    

Talking negative to yourself? Girrrl Stop! 

Doubting what God says in His Word? Girrrl Stop! 

There is greatness in you - Believe it!

"What's in between your ears is your pathway or hindrance to greatness - the choice is yours"

-Reebs

Girrrl Don't Stop the Shift!

During a recent vacation with some girlfriends we enjoyed a half day at the spa. The name of spa was Metamorphosis Day Spa. During the spa time we enjoyed time in the sauna which was extremely hot and relaxing. I closed my eyes and my friends begin to joke around asking what I was doing and I answered them truthfully: I'm meditating on God's Word. Still in a jovial tone they asked, "Well give us a Word!" As the Lord was speaking to me I shared with them that 2015 was the year of Metamorphosis! 

Metamorphosis is a change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one by natural or supernatural means. I believe for many of us God used 2015 as a year of development and training, hiding us in our cocoon while he proceeded to transform us by the renewing of our minds! So all of the trials, struggles, hardships, heartaches, heartbreaks, headaches, disappointments, victories and wins were all for our development. God is bringing us into a new season with new challenges, new tests, and new blessings! We had to go through it to be ready for the place where God is bringing us.

So don't fret the process because it's all apart of the supernatural metamorphosis that God is performing in your life! 

Girrrl DON'T Stop the SHIFT!!!